[The Globe and Mail, May 1999 by Adolfo Garza, Associated Press, Ajijic, Mexico]
"The Casa del Waffle carries USA Today. Dr. Pepper is available at a local grocery. The English language library has 23,000 books, and a representative of the Chicago based Beltone hearing aids flies down once a month to make his rounds.These are the shores of Lake Chapala, a wonderland of sunny skies, mild temperatures, lush mountains and thousands of retired Canadians and Americans, possibly the largest community of North American expatriates in the world.
"I thought Florida was heaven," said Skip Waggoner, 58, of Sebring Fla. who retired to Ajijic four years ago. "But when I found this, I fell in love with the place. This is definitely paradise."
The official language of this paradise is English. With more than 10,000 full-time residents from Canada and the United States - and thousands more who come for a few months every winter - the Chapala area often doesn't seem that different from their home countries. And it doesn't ask for expensive greenbacks whenever you buy something. People can watch American television over satellite dishes. Grocery stores stock Manwich Sloppy Joe mix, StoveTop Stuffing, and even Taco Bell taco seasoning. English-language newspapers including The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle - are available at most newsstands.
Those "at-home" touches draw more and more retirees every year. Although no one keeps statistics, residents say the influx has grown considerably in the past few years and with millions of baby boomers in the United States and Canada approaching retirement age, the trend is expected to continue.
Of the handful of towns that line the retiree corridor along the northwestern corner of Lake Chap-ala, the most popular is Ajijic. With cobblestone streets that date back to the 16th century, Ajijic combines the charms of old Mexico and small-town America.
"There comes a point when you want out of the pressure pot, out of the rat race," said Wayne Lamb, a 62-year old who heads American Legion Post 9 in Ajijic. "This is it. It's the best of both worlds."
Expatriates keep busy playing golf and bridge, putting on plays and musicals, painting and making crafts to sell in the dozen of art galleries around town, and participating in activities and charity programs organized by the Lake Chapala Society, a non-profit group. The society runs an orphanage, offers scholarships to send local children to good schools and has a humane society. Such activities help encourage warm relations between the expatriates and the Mexican residents of the area - as do the dollars that have protected the local economy from peso devaluation's.
For the expatriates, the Lake Chapala Society offers an English-Language library and a video collection, special group rates on Aetna medical and car insurance, visits by consulate representatives, Spanish classes and free blood pressure checks.
"I don't miss going to the States at all," said Vierl Bunnell, the society's 65-year-old president who has been in Chapala for six years.
For many residents, the area's location is ideal. Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, is a 40-minute drive away, and its airport - with direct flights to several U.S. and Canadian cities - is even closer.
"It's much easier for our family and friends to come visit," said Don Chaloner, a native of Montreal. Chaloner, 72, and his wife first lived in the area as snowbirds years ago. They tried moving to Europe after retiring five years but the beauty of Lake lured them back. "We could have retired to Ireland, Spain or France, but we finally decided to come back here."